Two Cells
by serudragmire
Summary: AU: Rowan has managed to get herself tangled up in a battle between Seru, from the Future and Cell of the present, and finds herself being hunted wherever she goes... Why can't she find any peace?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**Dogs, Cats & Bugs **

The capsule house was small and sparse, but it had been her home for over a year now. She had taken her fathers credit card, and in the space of a day, bought as much long lasting food, clothes equipment and the basic capsule house before cutting it up and jumping on the next bus out of the city. She had jumped buses and trains as often as she could for the first week. After that she found herself in a small town surrounded by mountains and forests. She had set up her house in the heart of the forest were she hoped, nobody would find her. Slowly she introduced herself into the small town, and by the end of the second month, she had found herself a part time job as a waitress in one of the towns few restaurants. This helped fund her food and other necessities.

Unfortunately, by the fourth month, she found herself depressed. She was lonely, horribly so and found herself lacking a real direction. She was 17, wanted to go to college and make something of herself. That would really rub it in her father's face, but she found herself lacking the commitment and funds to do so.

It was overcast in the late afternoon. She was walking through the town, heading home after a long day at work. She lifted her head, smiling broadly at the puppies and the kittens in the window of the pet shop. The shop had only been open for about two weeks, and she wanted a pet badly. It would help alleviate her loneliness and keep her company. It was only three more days until her next pay day and she was willing to spend the money on a new friend. She kept walking, smiling to herself as she drifted into dreams of her and cute puppies and kittens.

It was a long walk to where her capsule house was situated in the forest, half way up a mountain. She liked the privacy, although wished she had bought a capsule bike with her father's credit cards when she had the chance. She sighed as it began to drizzle. She didn't mind the rain, rather she enjoyed it, but it was cold and she was tired and her appreciation was at a low. She picked up her pace, walking a little faster along the path. It ran adjacent to a rocky ridge on one side, the forest on the other casting a shadow over the trees. A few sparse homes sat on top of the rocky ridge, mostly small time farmers this far away from the town. She stopped, hearing a growling and snarling dog. She listened and frowned to herself. It was a pack of wild dogs, but they sounded distant. She picked her pace up even more until she was power walking. She had heard them before, always distant, somewhere in the forest. They would occasionally wander into town, scavenging for food, or picking off a lamb from one of the farmers. The sounds grew louder and she began to jog. She didn't think she'd be up to fending herself from wild dogs, although they sounded distracted.

The sudden squealing hiss of something caused her to stop dead in her tracks. At first it sounded like a wild boar crossed with a snake, but it was something much different. The sounds of the wild dogs grew unbearably close, seeming to surround her, but it was just the acoustics of the rocky ridge playing tricks on her. She stopped, hearing the sounds of something heavy and fast through the underbrush. Then it burst out of the shrubs on the tree line, behind her. She whirled around to see a dog sized insect like creature. It was mottled mustard and earthy brown, with a huge V-shaped crest on its head and huge pink slit eyes, currently wild and frantic as its tiny stout legs carried it up the path. The wild dogs burst out after it, snapping, barking and growling. The creature hissed again as one of the dogs jumped on its back, sinking its fangs into its under developed wings. Lavender hued blood spurted down the creatures side and it made a snapping sound, as it's V-shaped crest rammed home in the creatures neck, breaking it with the force of the blow.

Two other dogs charged, snapping wildly. One of them attacked the creature head on, and the creature managed to get its leathery beak around the dogs front legs, while its head crest jerked to the side, smacking the dog away with another forceful blow. The creature hung on to its leg as the dog flew away, the force snapping the dogs leg like a twig. The creature suddenly dropped the dog, squealing again, as the other dog had attacked, it's jaws clamped shut on the creatures short stubby leg. The creature couldn't reach the dog because of its huge bulk. Another dog attacked, followed by another three, all helping the other dog bring the creature down. It fell with a sickening crunch on its side, exposing its softer under belly. It squealed again, the sound hurting her ears. Something snapped inside of her as she saw the creature wildly trying to defend itself. All thoughts of her own safety fled and she dropped her back pack to the floor, grabbed a nearby fallen branch from one of the trees, and charged the dogs, yelling as loudly as she could.

She imagined the sight of a human waving a heavy branch in her hands and yelling loudly was startling, as the dogs backed up a bit, shocked. She was surprised it had worked herself, but kept going. The dogs held their ground, until the heavy wooden branch met with the sides of one of the dogs, closest to the creature. The dog yelped, crashed to the floor, but wasn't truly hurt. Frightened the dogs turned and ran, their tails between their legs. The dog with the broken leg, limped away, leaving the dead dog's carcass in the middle of the path. She stared at it for a long moment before she turned on the creature. It managed to roll back onto its feet, but leaned heavily to one side. It's back leg was mangled. She frowned and the creature stared at her for a long moment. She went back to her back pack, pulled out the red apple she was supposed to have eaten for lunch. She rolled it along the floor to the creature. It stared at it but made no attempt to move. She spoke to it calmly, reassuring it as she came a little closer. The creature watched her, didn't move as she reached her hand out to its crest. It let her touch it, the creature surprisingly warm.

It began to rain a little more heavy, helping her to clean the wounds. The creature was on it's side again, letting her work more easily. She knew basic first aid, and tore up her jacket into strips, using it to dress the creatures worst wounds. When she was done, she helped the creature roll back onto its feet. It was still gingerly avoiding its back leg, but stared at her anyway. She hesitated before reaching out and stroking it's smooth warm back.

"Your not scared of me." It wasn't a question, but she was shocked to see the creature slowly shake it's head. She stared, blankly for a few seconds.

"You can understand me?" She asked, still confused. It nodded slowly once. "Wow." She exclaimed. "What are you?" It stared at her, unmoving until she got the message. She sighed slowly and smiled.

"You should rest that leg for a few days. My home isn't too much further away. Would you object if I took you there?" The creature lowered its gaze to the ground. It was a very long time in thinking, before it slowly looked back up at her and nodded once.

Not surprisingly, the creature was incredibly heavy and awkward to carry. Eventually she managed, holding it around the chest with one hand, and around its waist with her other, making sure its injure leg was not in any pain. It felt like an eternity of slow progress up the mountain side before her tiny white and black spherical house came into view through the thinning trees. She sighed relief and pushed open the door, heading straight for the couch. She put it down gingerly and slumped into the seat next to it. It watched her for a long time, before she stood back up and headed to the tiny kitchen. The house was only one room, with the U shaped lounge in the middle, a bed to one side, a tiny kitchen with the basics to another and a bathroom which could be separated from the rest of the room by a curtain. It had a tiny set of drawers and a desk with a chair. That was about it.

The creature stared around the room slowly, before returning its steely gaze to her. She smiled.

"Hungry?" The creature nodded slowly. "So what do you eat?" She found out quickly, that it ate anything and everything and ate it all. It was getting late when she slumped back on the couch.

"So, how you feeling?" It nodded slowly as she moved to check his leg. It was a moment before she stripped the make shift bandages and exclaimed loudly. The creatures' eyes were bright as if it was laughing at her.

"You completely healed?!" She yelled. The creature nodded again. "So soon?! That must be handy." The creature nodded again. She sat in silence for a while, just staring at the creature.

"So... are you... going to stay anyway?" She asked. The creature paused for a while, thinking, before nodding slowly. Her face lit up. "Really?" It nodded again. She smiled.

"Great! So what do I call you?" The creature tilted it's head and stared. She smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, right, my name is Rowan."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Seru**

Rowan had woken the next morning to find the creature sitting on the couch, an open book under it's nose. It was reading. She watched for a moment, receiving only a casual glance in her direction before it returned its attention to the book.

"What are you?!" She exclaimed slowly before heading to the breakfast. The creature's eyes glittered as it laughed silently at her. Breakfast was a rushed affair with the creature eating a bowl of leafy salad, some scrambled eggs, sausages and toast. It followed that up with a liter of juice it drank from a bowl. Rowan stared at the creature as it returned to reading. It was Rowan's old school copy of Moby Dick.

"So, what do I call you?" She asked casually. The creature paused, turning its head to stare at her. It slipped off the creature and headed to the pile of books stacked unceremoniously next to the desk. The pile fell to the ground with a flourish of pages. The creature rummaged for a while before tearing out a page. Rowan frowned at the blatant destruction, but said nothing. The creature walked back to her and placed the piece of paper in front of her and stepped on it, one of its toes pointing at a highlighted word from the page of her old Japanese-English dictionary. She stared for a while, before looking the creature in the eyes. It nodded slowly and she read.

"_**Cell**_ translates to _**Se-Ru**_. Noun, Biology. a usually microscopic structure containing nuclear and cytoplasmic material enclosed by a semipermeable membrane and, in plants, a cell wall; the basic structural unit of all organisms." The creature more or less nodded slowly. She stared at him for a long time.

"Seru." It stared at her for a while then nodded slowly. She smiled. "So your name is Seru." It nodded again. She reached out and touched his crest, felt his warmth and she grinned. "Pleasure to meet you." The creature clambered back on top of the couch, sitting next to Rowan and returned to reading.

Rowan found herself grow attached to Seru. He was stubborn, and had an insatiable appetite, but was never the less, intelligent and never tried to hurt her. Much like a cat, he would sleep most of the day, becoming more active in the evenings, although often he was awake, long enough to eat all the food Rowan had brought home, then returned to sleep. Rowan often commented on where he was putting it all away. He had a sense of humor, although not always in a good manner, but to his best quality, was that he would listen, whenever she told him about her life. It made her feel completely relieved to tell someone she could trust. He never spoke in return, and rarely ever used anything more then basic gestures to reply, but she never minded.

A year passed by. Rowan began studying part time. She had chosen biology as she had found it a fascinating subject. She kept working at the restaurant when she wasn't studying, and even managed to buy herself a capsule bike so she could get around. The only downside to Seru was she could not invite any of her college friends or work colleagues to her home because of Seru. She had spent the first few weeks trying to find out any information on what he was. At first she thought he was a rare species of insect, but he was warm blooded and sentient to a heavy level. She had asked him whether he was an extinct dinosaur or some thing along those lines. He had always answered no. Eventually she became frustrated and stopped trying to figure him out. He had always found her attempts amusing though. Being around him for so long, Rowan had learnt to read Seru's eyes, and could easily determine his moods from that.

It was about 18 months after he had chosen to stay with Rowan that he began to act a little odd. The first thing she noticed was when he stopped eating everything. By the end of the week, he wasn't eating at all. She became worried and he became lethargic. She couldn't take him to a vet. They would dissect him and he plainly refused to go. She tried to make him comfortable, keeping him warm and continued to try to feed him and give him water. It was on a Tuesday after Rowan had fallen asleep, sprawled on the couch, one arm around Seru when it finally happened. She woke to a strange sounds, a liquid shifting sound. She startled, rubbed her eyes and turned to Seru. Her heart skipped a beat and tears sprung to her eyes as she stared. His eyes were glassy and still, and he was staring blankly at her. She threw herself at him, and he felt cold and lifeless.

"Seru!" Nothing. He was gone. She hadn't felt this horribly since her mother's death when she was nine. It hit her suddenly, the grief and the pain, memories of her mother's death mixed with the new hurts from Seru's sudden death. Minutes passed, and she stopped suddenly, as she felt his shiver. He wasn't dead... She let him go, staring. He stared blankly back, distant and glassy. She stared a little closer, heard the sounds again, and saw the body shake. She stood up as his body fell to the floor. It shifted, legs splayed out at odd angles. The body shook once more, before with a sickening, almighty crack, his spine split apart. She yelled in shock, as a giant glowing form erupted from the split, slowly blending into the form of a humanoid. She stared, watching as the form hardened and the glow died away, reveling what Seru looked like as a humanoid. Taller then she was by far, outer leathery skin, orange leathery beak and the same pink slit eyes and head crest. Only now he was mottled green with orange ribbed armour. He had wings now and a long scorpion like tail.

He turned to her. His eyes narrowed slightly and his leathery beak parted and a raspy hissing sound escaped.

"Se... Seru?" She questioned, still shocked. He grinned at her.

"Yes." He said simply. She stared for what seemed an eternity.

"You... You changed..." She said, suddenly finding her throat constrict. He snickered.

"Yes, I evolved." He rasped. His eyes turned to his arms and hands as he held them up in front of himself. "It's been a while." he said absently to himself. He turned back to her confused expression. He gestured to the couch.

"Sit down, Rowan." He said. Her name sounded strange, foreign to her suddenly, but she did as he said. He stretched again, rolling his shoulders and head before he turned back to her.

"What... What are you?" Rowan had asked the question a hundred times before, but she had never wanted an answer quite like she did right then. His eyes narrowed again.

"I am a bio-mechanical android Rowan. I was created, by a human, Dr Gero." He said it simply and she stared at him, digesting the information slowly.

"Your..." She couldn't finish. He knelt down, bringing his gaze to hers, his tail flicking with impatience.

"I have to go Rowan. I thank you for your help." His eyes watched hers. Her hand found his though and she squeezed it for a moment before he turned, walking out the door.

She sat in silence for a long time, the silence deafening and the memories tragic. She stared at her hand. He had felt cold... His empty shell of the Seru she had known as her friend sat near her feet. She touched it and felt a tiny tear fall from her eyes. Something was horribly wrong and she felt the lead weight in her stomach. She felt guilty suddenly, and very alone.

**A/N:** _The information from the Dictionary, was taken from _**Random House Unabridged Dictionary. © Random House, INC 2006. **

_Little bit of trivial information: In the manga, Cell says it takes 24 years for him to grow from a little fetus to his matured form. Add about 2 years of running around the future, plus the four years it takes for him to regrow into his mature form again... Cell is about __**30!**__ Yay for useless trivia._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**Cell vs Seru**

_Gero was excited. Today would be the day. He was sure of it. His fingers nimbly ran over the keyboard, the console glittered with flickering lights and the monitor danced with information. Finally the images appeared as his satellite shifted into position. It was the city of Peel. It zoomed up, clarifying the scene as it did. People were walking down the street. It zoomed in again, on one person in particular. A woman, young, undeniably beautiful chatting to a man whose arm she hung from. _

_"Got you." Gero hissed and his eyes narrowed as his fingers danced again. He watched as a blue van pulled up suddenly next to the couple. Two burly men jumped out of the van, one shot the man in the head and he went down, dead. The woman was grabbed, tranquilized with a needle and loaded into the van. It had all taken seconds. The van burst into the air, flying fast while the blood still pooled from the dead man's body._

_Gero laughed his eyes gleaming at the success. The monitor went black as he executed the program and began to mill around his laboratory. Minutes passed and he heard the sounds of doors opening and closing as the two goons appeared in the lab's entrance with the unconscious woman. Gero gestured to a work table that had equipment stored next to it ready to go. They dumped her unceremoniously and left Gero alone in the sterilized lights of his lab with the unconscious woman. He began his work, humming to himself as he injected the woman with drugs and attached the sensory readings to her body._

_It was two years later, the woman was running madly, tears streaming down her eyes as she slipped down the rocky mountainous path. She heard the alarms screaming behind her, but she ran as fast as she could, refusing to look back. She screamed as she lost her footing, falling down an incline, grazing her body on the loose rocks on the way. She was bloodied, when she landed, but she leaped back to her feet and ran through the trees. It felt like an eternity before she burst out onto a road. She screamed, leaping out of the way of a truck that was screaming down the road. _

_Minutes later, she had managed to hitch a ride with a different truck driver, taking her away from all the horrors of the lab._

_Twelve years later and she had managed to forget the horrors of her two years of captivity. She had settled down again, gotten married and had a child, a daughter. She worked hard, loved her husband and her daughter and thought life was dandy. She went out with her friends often, and she was on the way to one of them when they struck. A new van, although still blue, pulled up besides her again, she screamed as the mechanical androids snickered, lifted his hand and with minimal effort, ended her life._

Two days had passed since Seru had left Rowan. Her life had fallen apart since then. She had quit her job and school, had packed her things tightly away, along with the empty shell of Seru, and re-capsuled her house. She had packed that away safely and then jumped on her capsule bike and began the process of running away all over again. Her hair was a mess, her eyes were watery and her resolution at an all time low. She had seen the news. She had heard the stories. She was so sure it was him, but she hoped and believed it wasn't. It had broken her heart to hear about the wanton destruction and the countless lives he was reaping, and she couldn't even fathom a reason as to why. He had always been the friend to her, caring, to an extent. She couldn't piece it together, and had instead, chosen to mourn as if he had died. To her, it felt as if he had, only worse, because he had become a monster. Cold chills that ran down her spine had become a common thing.

She settled down for the night at a hotel in the heart of a rather busy town. The place was fraught with scared people and didn't blame them. She showered and redressed herself before slipping into bed for the night. She didn't turn the TV on. She didn't want to hurt herself more with the news.

She woke in the middle of the night to the high pitched screams of people downstairs. She startled, but leaped out of bed, grabbed her back pack and charged out the door. She saw him then, stalking the corridor. He saw her, his eyes narrowed and he grinned.

"Hello." He rasped. She frowned.

"You jerk!" She yelled. His eyes widened in surprise. "Why did you have to do it?! You've become a monster!" She screamed. He seemed shocked for a second, turned his head in his quizzical way. Tears pricked her eyes again. "Do you have any idea how much pain you've caused me?" Seru seemed to regain control over himself and he crouched down slightly, his tail arching over his head.

"Allow me to end your pain." he rasped slowly. He charged her then. Time froze. Her mind raced ahead and all she could think of was how much she hated him right then for being a two faced bastard. Then the floor beneath him erupted and time rushed back to her and she was thrown to her back. She was expecting the needle sharp tip to dive into her at any second, but instead, she heard the sounds of fighting. She sat up quickly, saw the giant hole in the hallway and heard the sounds beneath her.

She crawled to the edge and peered in the hole. She nearly fainted from the shock of seeing Seru caught up in a fist fight with himself...

"Two..." She shook her head in disbelief and collected herself before running for the stairs. She burst into the downstairs hall to see Seru uppercut his dopplganger in the jaw. Lavender hued blood erupted from his maw and he fell unceremoniously, sprawled on the ground. The Seru that was standing turned to her and she smiled weakly.

"Run." He rasped. Without hesitation she turned and ran down the stairs again. As she emerged from the hotel she found empty clothes of dead people all over the streets and she felt her heart twinge. She screamed as the floors above her erupted in a shower of light broken glass and rubble. The two Seru's fell to the road in front of her, wrestling madly with each other. One got an advantage and punched the other repeatedly in the face. As if flicking a switch, they both stopped moving instantly and turned to stare at the sky.

"Senshi!" They rasped in unison. They both leaped to their three toed feet, both glaring at Rowan. She felt she was missing something, but they both charged her, felt the arms around her, and the sudden nausea of the ground disappearing beneath her as she was flew. She stared up at the Seru that had her and found his expression unreadable. She stared around and didn't see the other one and assumed he had run off. The speed that he flew with was unbelievable, but it was short lived as he dived into the dense forest below and ran instead, still faster then a car could drive.

What seemed like ages passed before he suddenly stopped, Rowan feeling sick. Seru hugged her to himself, one hand slipping over her mouth to quieten her and he turned to the sky. She followed his gaze, seeing men flying over the trees, bright flames of energy engulfing them. She thought simply that her day couldn't get any weirder.

Finally Seru let her go and she stumbled onto her own legs, turned to stare at him. His expression was unreadable again, but he made no attempt to kill her either.

"Seru?" She asked quietly. He broke into a grin to answer her. She sighed, feeling relief, but anger and hurt all at the same time. She turned on him suddenly.

"What the hell have you been doing?!" She snarled. He smirked.

"It's good to see you too." He hissed in his cold voice. She frowned and her face fell.

"Who was that other guy?" Seru's face fell cold too.

"That is Cell." She frowned deeper.

"I.. I thought you were Cell." He smirked.

"I'm Seru. But were the same thing." He replied. She felt small and confused. He noticed. "I should explain, Rowan." He began, "As I said before, I am a bio-mechanical android, created by Dr Gero. My primary objective, the reason I was created is to merge my being with two of Gero's other androids, Number 17, and 18. Unfortunately, I was born in a different time line, in the future, and the androids there were destroyed. So I... Borrowed a time machine from a man named Trunks and came here instead to find and absorb my androids here. Strangely enough the Cell here has emerged 24 years earlier then he should have, meaning there are two of us hunting the androids, instead of one."

Rowan stared blankly at Seru. She felt even more confused now then she had before. She blinked twice, and sorted through the information he had given her. She turned to him slowly.

"Your from the future." He nodded slowly once.

"Yes."

"Your here to... absorb or merge or whatever, with two other androids, because they weren't in your time line." Seru smirked and nodded again.

"But for whatever reason, the Cell here, that wasn't supposed to be born for another 24 years is already here too." Seru nodded again. She sighed, staring at him slowly.

"It's hard to believe." Cell grinned.

"I know." Her face turned cold.

"You've been absorbing the people here though?" He frowned and nodded slowly.

"Not as many as Cell, however, and his power is quite formidable as a result." She sighed and looked at the ground.

"So you become more powerful be eating human?" He nodded slowly. "And he's been doing that too, to become more powerful?" Seru nodded again. She looked back up at him, tears pricking her eyes.

"It's such a waste of human life." She whispered. He lifted his hand to her chin, making her look him in the eyes.

"You have to understand, Rowan, I need to do this. It's why I was created. And although I'm grateful for all your help, you aren't going to stop me now." He had said it calmly and softly but she still heard the menace in his voice. She frowned.

"I know, and thats what worries me." She managed a weak, forced smile before she stepped back from him and turned her back to him.

"Are you going to... _kill_ me too?" She choked on her words. He snickered at this, as if it was amusing.

"Of course not. That would be no way to reward your generosity." He said it with a casualness about it. Then his voice fell sobered again. "But Cell will." She turned to him then paused for a moment, then reached into her backpack. She slipped out a permanent maker, walked to him, reached up and drew on his crest. His eyes followed her, but he couldn't see.

"There." She said simply. "Now I can tell you apart." Seru chuckled, amused.

"I have to leave you again now. Avoid concentrations of humans Rowan. That's what he's hunting at the moment. At least until he's powerful enough to absorb the androids." She frowned.

"Is that your plan too?" He smirked.

"No. My plan is to absorb him first."

He left shortly after that. She sat down, letting her mind walk itself through the information and the complications of what it all meant. Unfortunately it made her feel more vulnerable then it had before and she felt afraid, truly afraid. As if having one android was enough, there was at least two other androids, plus two Cell's. Her mind couldn't truly comprehend it, let along understand it.

She set up her capsule house near a river that night, as Seru had suggested, far away from any other human and resigned herself to a restless night's sleep, jumping at every sound.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**Mine and Mine Alone**

_Gero watched with renewed interest at the transformation of the cell's beneath the microscope. _

_"Amazing." He muttered to himself. "Absolutely astounding." He was caught up with the liquids beneath the microscopes he had been studying. He felt it was finally time to test it. _

_"Come here!" He bellowed. The dog emerged from behind the wall, cowering, its head hung low. Gero snickered, grabbed the dog by the scruff of its neck and emptied the contents of his syringe into the dog's neck. It yelped but didn't move. Gero let it go and picked up a small scanner he had sitting on his desk. He activated it and watched with reserved awe as the power level of the dog jumped from 3 to 300. _

_"Amazing." He said again. The dog whined as it's body evolved. It became larger, muscular and more savage looking, except its eyes remained the same scared and dopey brown._

_"Absolute genius!" Gero exclaimed. The dog limped away, obviously not used to its new stature as it bumped into everything along the way._

_Gero had discovered and refined the formula for the rapid evolutionary growth formula. And all because of that stupid foolish woman. _

_"She was a gold mine and didn't even know it!" He said to himself. He moved quickly, sliding the canister of red liquid into a holder that was directly connected to his super computer. He turned to the computers keyboard and tapped violently against it. When he was finished, he turned to the empty tank that connected to the main computer._

_"When you're eventually created, 21, you'll be my greatest achievement. With this little formula, you'll be indestructible!"_

Rowan sighed and resigned, flicking the TV on. News bulletins flashed across the screen. The news was chasing the ruins of cities and the desolate populations of people that had been eaten. Rowan felt her stomach knot and sighed, watching with apprehension. People had caught snap shots of Cell and they were shown on the TV and labeled '_monster_'.

"Oh Seru! I hope this ends soon." She mumbled as the latest five digit figure flashed on the screen, representing the death toll.

Rowan turned the TV off and let her head hang. She felt useless. And somehow all those deaths were her fault. She sighed and let herself fall to her side on the couch. Curled in the fetal position and listening to the sounds of the waterfall she had set up her home near, she let her mind wander. She thought of Cell and of Seru. She wanted to believe it was as simple as saying Cell was the bad guy, and Seru was the good guy. Unfortunately, Seru had admitted to eating people as well, which made him just as bad.

She woke with a start. She hadn't even realized she'd drifted off to sleep. She sighed and sat up, feeling the chill from the breeze. She started and leaped to her feet. Her front door was open, which was horribly unsettling.

"Interesting home you have." Cell said. Rowan cringed and felt her heart race. He was standing near her bed, his tail flicking.

"You!" Was all she could manage. He snickered.

"Me." She shifted, backing away from him as he walked towards her.

"What do you want?" She asked, her voice sounding small. She felt the wall against her back, but he came closer until he was towering over her.

"Oddly enough, you." He said, his voice cold as ice and the menace giving it an edge. She felt a shiver dance down her spine.

"Me?" She stammered. She tried to ignore his hand as it rose to her face.

"Yes. Seems I know a little something about you, you don't know." He said. His hand sported her chin, holding it up. Without warning, she found him on her, his leathery beak pressed to her lips, and his incredible strength pinning her to the wall. She tried to scream and struggle, but he held her firmly. Finally he let her go and without thinking, she slapped him, hard as she could. He snickered, but turned his face back to hers.

"Feisty." He snickered. She was flushed in rage and shame at being helpless.

"What do you want?!" She yelled this time. He grinned at her.

"I told you."

"Why me?! There are other women you could pick on!" He laughed outright this time.

"Oh yes, but my interest isn't sexual. Dear woman, I have better taste then that." His words struck her harder then his fists could have and it silenced her. He snickered again. "What do you know about your mother?" He asked suddenly. The question shocked her.

"She... She... died when I was younger." She replied, feeling bile rise in her throat. Cell snickered, lifting his hand to her face again.

"Yes, do you know how?" Rowan found suddenly she couldn't speak. "She was killed, by the good Doctor, Gero." Rowan's eyes widened.

"No, car crash..." She stuttered. Cell snickered again.

"Oh no. Your mother was killed by Gero." He said again. She couldn't believe it, wouldn't believe it.

"Do you want to know why?" He purred. He bent over, bringing his face dangerously close to hers again. She slowly nodded, but felt herself shaking involuntarily. His hand flicked a strand of hair from her face.

"I went back to where I was born yesterday. To the laboratory. Sadly there isn't much left at the moment. Rather nasty to be honest, but not all of it was destroyed. I found Gero's journals, read them and was rather surprised to find your photo in their." Rowan felt her eyes widen.

"M..Me?" She couldn't hide the shock. Cell grinned, narrowing his eyes to slits.

"Oh yes. I thought there would have to be something special about you for that impostor to have such an interest in you. Now I know." She felt the resolution steel her.

"Why?" She demanded. He chuckled again but instead of telling her, he closed the gap between them, and kissed her again, it was short lived, as she squirmed from his grasp and dove under his arm. He let her.

"Now that wasn't very nice of you." He purred. His tail twitched threateningly. "And here I was doing you a favor." She swallowed her fear.

"I don't want your favor. Your probably lying anyway." It sounded pathetic, even to her. He snickered.

"Suit yourself, I won't tell you. But I'm going to take what I came here for, one way or another." He advanced and she felt her knees turn to jelly. She turned, and ran through the door, not looking back.

She crashed suddenly into the hard leathery skin of Cell. She stared up at his face and smiled relief. The little smiley face she had drawn on his crest was still there.

"Seru!" She exclaimed, he glanced at her and smiled, but turned his attention back to Cell who was standing in the door to the house.

"Get away." Seru snarled quietly to Rowan. She nodded, let him go and took for the trees. She stopped just out of the way, hid behind a tree and watched.

"You ruined my fun." Cell hissed. Seru grinned.

"So sorry." He said sarcastically. They both mimicked each other, slipping into a fighting stance.

"I see you've gotten a little bit stronger." Seru said. Cell smirked.

"Of course. I see you haven't been taking advantage of your toy." Cell replied. Seru frowned.

"Doesn't work like that." Cell smirked.

"I'll find out." Seru fell deathly angry.

"You'll have to get past me first." Cell laughed.

"That won't take much!" Cell charged and Seru met his punch with a block and countered with a kick. Cell growled, whirled and landed his elbow in Seru's face. Seru stumbled, regained his composure and dodged a flying kick, leaping into the air. Cell followed, and the two began a volley of violent attacks against each other.

Rowan watched with awe. She had never seen them fight like this. It was almost impossible to watch as they danced in the air. With a sudden flash of light, Cell blasted a beam of energy at Seru, who knocked it tot he side. Rowan watched a mountain in the distance explode and disappear as if it never was.

"Oh my god." She whispered, stunned. They could level whole towns without trying. She had never truly grasped how powerful they were.

It was clear Cell had the upper hand. Seru was looking beaten and bloodied, where as Cell only had a few smaller cuts and bruises. Already they were healing, but Cell wasn't giving Seru a chance. Finally, and with sudden speed, Seru dropped to the ground, landed smoothly and charged at Rowan. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the trees.

"No you don't!" Cell roared. He blasted a beam of energy at the ground in a trail that followed Seru. Rowan watched as the trees behind them were incinerated without any real effort.

"Seru! Were it's going to catch us!" She yelled. The sudden intense light blinded her and she felt herself collide with a tree and with a grunt, she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Cell landed, staring eye to eye with Seru, who looked worse for wear.

"Your problem is your sentimentality." Cell said bluntly and gestured to the unconscious girl slumped at the base of a tree. Seru frowned.

"Your problem is your lack of control." Cell laughed.

"Bah. I don't need control. I'm the strongest creature in the universe, and I'm about to become the ultimate perfection." Seru snorted defiantly.

"What is your plan when you've achieved that level?" Seru asked. Cell smirked.

"Destroy Earth. What's yours?"

"Conquer Earth. What's the point in destroying it?" Cell laughed.

"You actually care about these pathetic creatures?" Seru laughed back.

"Of course not. But why destroy the whole planet? You could have so much fun here." Cell turned his gaze to the unconscious girl.

"You are sad." Cell said simply. He turned back to Seru. "You came here, found her, by accident or not, and you've been with her for several months, at least, and not once, not once have you used her for what she was created." Seru snarled.

"No. I haven't. But that's my choice." Cell shrugged.

"Our situations would be reversed if you had." Seru stared at Rowan, eyes narrowed.

"You can't. It's... complicated." Cell laughed out loud, ridiculing Seru.

"You care for her. You sad pathetic creature. You actually care for something." Seru glared at him.

"What are you going to do now then?" Seru asked. Cell shrugged simply.

"Absorb you." Seru nodded slowly.

"Get it over with then." Cell snickered.

"As you wish." Seru glanced at Rowan as Cell approached...


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**Only One**

_It was a simple plan really. Seru knew when he absorbed someone, he took on some of their personality characteristics. The more powerful the person, the more powerful the absorbed characteristics. He had hoped that when Cell absorbed him, his friendship with Rowan would help protect her. He had failed her in every other way, and had made the ultimate sacrifice as a last resort. He sat in his own form of oblivion, smiling to himself as the plan had worked..._

Cell stood, flexing his muscles. He didn't look any different, but he felt incredibly powerful. His level must have jumped, to nearly double what it was. He felt almost invincible. He turned his attention to the unconscious girl and felt confused feelings of varying degrees clouding his mind. He laid a silent curse to Seru and his mixed sentimental feelings. The girl groaned and stirred and he felt himself whir into action.

"Seru?" She asked groggily as she sat up slowly. He stared at her for a long time, forcing his mind to sort itself out. Rowan broke into a smile though, as he knelt down next to her. She leaned over and hugged him.

"Seru." She said softly. "Your Okay." Cell was confused further, and forced himself to not make any attempt to either hurt her, or push her away.

Finally she let him go and slowly stood up, using the tree as a support. She had a little bit of blood tracing a line down her face from a cut in her forehead.

"What happened?" She asked as she looked around. There was a long line of destruction where the trees had been blasted away, and a crater where the battle had taken place. Cell smiled despite himself.

"We merged." He said simply. She stared at him for a long time looking troubled.

"What's my favorite color?" She asked suddenly. He stared for a moment as the memories from Seru rushed through his mind causing him further confusion.

"Red." He replied. She frowned slightly.

"Yes. But what does it mean now that you've merged with Cell?" He shrugged.

"We were identical anyway, so the only real difference is the power." He lied before forcing himself to shut his mouth. He was far to obliging to this woman and found his head in chaos again as Seru and Cell duked it out over the emotions. This was going to get annoying.

"I don't know what to say. You've become one, but what now?" Cell smirked.

"Androids. I'll go after them, achieve the ultimate perfection and become unstoppable." Rowan sighed at the hungry cold expression in Cell's eyes.

"Every time you evolve or merge, you loose a little piece of yourself. Your nothing like the bug that got mauled by the dogs in the forest any more. I hope your still you when your finally satisfied with what your doing to yourself." Her words stung him for some reason, he truly couldn't decide why, but pushed it to the back of his mind to think on later.

"I'm going now. At least you don't have to worry about me trying to kill you. For a while." Cell said with a snarl. Rowan frowned, her eyes sad and lost as Cell burst into the air. She felt lost.

Evaluating the situation, Rowan sighed. She felt confused small and to some small degree lucky. Two Cell's had fought over her, for all the wrong reasons, and she still felt horribly numb from the near miss with Cell. His words still echoed in her ears, and she wished she could go back and bleed the information from him. She sighed. Maybe the merged Cell could tell her. She didn't like the new merged Cell much. He seemed cold and hungry, and just as spiteful as the old Cell had been. She missed Seru something shocking. The Seru that sat on the couch with her, while they read books, or watched TV. The Seru that could eat almost her entire income in a day... The Seru she had called her friend...

A day passed. She was still confused about to what to make of the new Cell, but she was trying not to pass judgment on him just yet. She smiled slightly to herself though. The smiley face she had drawn on his crest had become a permanent apart of him, looking like another spot on his crest only cuter.

She was outside, stretching, when it happened. The whole Earth rumbled, and she felt the vibration through her feet, before suddenly the whole world shook violently. She cried out as she fell to the forest floor. She heard the crash of a tree falling nearby and rocks cascading down other rocks. It was over before it had begun though and she stood back up, dusting herself off. She felt the chill down her spine that told her it had something to do with Cell. She hazarded a guess and assumed he had found his androids. Either that or he was fighting someone powerful. She hoped, for simplicities sake, it was option A.

Later that afternoon, the question was answered. She had been watching the news when he appeared. He rose through the floor of the studio, strangled the news reader and turned to the camera.

"My god. What happened to you?" She whispered. He was more human then ever before. His amour was still leathery and green speckled, but it look different, more like clothes then skin. His wings were longer and more slender and shelled black. His chest and shoulders were the same. His crest had split now, framing the black shelled skull. His eyes were a calculating and intelligent pink color and he wore his familiar smirk, just without the beak.

Sitting to the left of his split crest was the little smiley faced speckles, hidden amongst the others, but there none the less.

"Seru." She said quietly as she listened to him. He declared himself the Ultimate Perfection, unbeatable in combat. He challenged the Earth and all it's greatest warriors to a tournament. He gave them ten days to prepare and the location. Then, he turned and blasted a hole through the building's wall, through the city and blew a mountain up in the distance. All just to prove a point.

"Fool..." Rowan muttered. He had just challenged Earth to a battle.

Rowan poured over her geology books and a map. She managed to pin point where he was holding his tournament. It was on the other side of the map in farming country, but she figured she could get there in time for the tournament, assuming Cell didn't come and find her first. She packed up her house and belongings and began the walk through the forest towards where she figured, a town would be. Night settled in quickly and she stopped to reopen her capsule home and cooked herself a steak and some vegetables for dinner. On the news on the TV, the whole planet was in turmoil. Cities were evacuating, people were panicking and causing riots and mass protests. The Army had retaliated and was telling everyone that they were scheduling a response to Cell's threat. Rowan sighed slowly and felt smaller then she had before. She felt somehow responsible and cold.

A sudden knock at her door caught her off guard, but she opened the door anyway. It was Cell. He was as tall as ever.

"Seru..." She said slowly. He looked more impressive in reality. He smirked at her and held his hands out to his side, showing himself to her.

"What do you think?" He asked. His voice was deep and polite, although still held a tinge of menace. She studied him for a moment and gave him a nod.

"So this is what happens when you absorb the androids?" He nodded.

"Ultimate Perfection. I'm the strongest person in the universe now. Completely Unstoppable." She sighed at him. He stared, his cold pink eyes widening in question.

"What wrong with that?" He asked.

"Your going to destroy my planet. I can think of lots thats wrong with that." He smirked.

"I won't destroy it. I'll definitely conquer it though." He said. He felt the twinge of conflict within himself, but pushed it aside. It was unimportant now. She frowned and shook her head, but gestured for him to come inside.

He sat cross legged, but hovered in the air so his wings hung down. It was a trick he had picked up from Piccolo.

"I heard about your tournament." She said casually as she made herself a tea. She offered one to Cell, who took it but made no attempt to drink it.

"Yes. I wanted to give the people of Earth a chance to defend themselves." He said. His eye twitched in response to the internal conflict again waging war within. She sighed slowly.

"I admire that much at least." She felt herself turn cold and steeled herself, building her resolution. Finally she turned on Cell who was staring at her, watching, calculating.

"Cell told me about my mother. He said she was killed by Gero. Can you tell me, please? I need to know." It was sudden, but she felt infinitely better now that it was in the air.

Cell felt himself baulk, felt the overwhelming desire to protect her rise, courtesy of Seru's genetics. The merger seemed so long ago, so much had happened. He no longer thought of himself as either one or the other. He was a combination of the two and no conflicting personalities remained. It was just him with the traits of both. A new Cell. A new Seru. The Ultimate Life form, but the fact that he felt a certain fondness for any single creature irked him still, and it was something he had to adjust too, even though he knew killing her was out of the question. She was needed. But could he tell her why? What difference would it make if she knew the truth?

"Your mother was Celia, Rowan. She was not from overseas like she told everyone. She was in fact from another planet." This news shocked Rowan visibly and she stared blankly and in disbelief. He pressed on. "Gero knew she was an alien, but wanted to know what kind. After all, some aliens have incredibly useful parts in them." Cell's hand gestured towards himself.

"He set about trying to capture her. She proved illusive, but after several years, he managed to capture her. He studied her, much like a human would a rat. He took her genetic sequencing and blood samples and discovered a rather useful chemical compound. Turns out her blood possessed a chemical that could bond with the genetics of another animal, and if done under the right circumstances, would mutate and amplify the animals strength, enhancing them. There were drawbacks, and it took the Good Doctor a long time to iron them out."

Cell paused for a moment, watching Rowan's face turn from anger to shock to confusing and sadness.

"What happened to my mother?" She asked quietly.

"She escaped, eventually. She managed to evade the doctor for a few years then. Enough time for her to fall in love again, settle down and bear the fruits of that love." He indicated to Rowan then. "Unfortunately, the doctor found himself rather annoyed at her disappearance. He sent one of his lesser androids to find her, and he killed her on the street." Rowan felt tears streaming down her cheeks, but they felt distant and far away.

"Ma..." She whispered. An image of her mother fluttered into her head. Blood red hair, knee length with bright green eyes and an unearthly shine around her. It made sense, but Rowan couldn't believe it.

"So... I'm half alien?" Rowan asked after a long time. Cell nodded.

"Yes. You have the same chemical compound in your blood as you mother did. Gero tried very hard to recreate the compound, but it dies without the host. He thought he had succeeded when he managed to procure some of your blood from your old school check ups and used it for his experiments. Yours turned out to much more resilient, possibly because of the human mix in you. Who knows?" Rowan nodded slowly.

"So my ma was an alien, I'm a half alien... What about others? Surely there are others?" Cell smiled sadly.

"No. Your mother was one of the few survivors of a planet that came under attack, and was subsequently destroyed. Others escaped, headed in other directions, but none of them came here to Earth."

Cell had the urge to wipe her tears away, but reigned himself in, and continued to sit unmoving, watching as she wiped her own eyes on her shirt. His insides burned. He hated feeling like he needed to stop her hurting. It wasn't like him. She was obviously upset about finding out about her mother and her self, but that couldn't be helped. He still hadn't told her all the news yet, but he wouldn't yet. He wanted to wait for her to ask, wait for her to swallow all the information he had unceremoniously dumped on her. It took a while, but not as long as he was expecting. She had sipped her tea, tried to calm herself down. His tea sat in his hand, untouched turning cold.

"So I guess that means, that you want my blood?" She asked softly. He smirked.

"No. The compound is in your blood, but nothing will happen if I simply drink your blood. Thats not the way it works. It needs to be released through... special means." She looked at him quizzically.

"So how do you get it then?" She asked. He frowned.

"Do you have no ideas?" He asked, raising his eye ridge in an incriminating way. The memories of Cell trying force himself of her came back to her and she felt herself cringe involuntarily.

"Sex." He nodded slowly.

"Thats the general idea of it. Gero was rather upset about relying on sex as a tool, but he ran out of time to find another way around it." Rowan frowned and stared into Cell's eyes.

"Are you going to... I mean... Um..." Her face grew hot and flushed. Cell laughed at her and shook his head.

"I don't have to. I'm already far stronger then anybody else, so there is no need. But you should at least know." She nodded slowly.

"Thanks... I think. At least I know about my mother now." Cell smiled simply.

"A pleasure." He moved forward suddenly, using his hand to lift her chin. She stared at him a little shocked.

"I won't hurt you Rowan." He said simply. "Despite the differences between my previous counterparts, I won't hurt you. The memories you and Seru shared are still here." She gave him a weak smile.

"Thanks. I think I needed to hear that." He smirked again, his eyes brilliant with his hidden intelligence, and his reservations. He fought an internal battle right then as he stared into her eyes. He wanted to leave her, never talk to her again, pretend she wasn't there, but it was hopeless. He wanted to stand by her side too. He cursed Gero silently for writing the genetics for the attraction towards the half breed. Gero had recorded simply, that it would help.

He left shortly after that, leaving his still untouched cup of tea on the table. She stared at it and let her mind wander. She felt somehow more at ease now that she knew the truth, although she was still troubled. A thought popped into her mind suddenly and she felt eased by it. When he had touched her with his white hand, it had been warm.

She stripped her clothes off and stepped into her shower, cleaning the grime from her afternoon trek off. She dressed and headed to bed, finding an exhausted sleep, despite her wandering, chaotic mind.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**Realizations**

He tried to concentrate on his meditations as he stood in the center of his arena. Unfortunately his mind was persistent in wandering back to the thoughts of Rowan. He sighed nasally and opened his eyes, staring out at the baron landscape he had created. He saw the dust rising in the distance and let a smirk etch his lips. Moments later the massive air force began to fly overhead, announcing the presence of the rest of the army. Tanks, soldiers, bombers and interceptors. Hundreds upon hundreds of humans trying to take the fight to Cell, to retaliate. He let them come, watched them surround his arena and prepare for the attack. He opened his wings, taking to the air the entire army moving, following him, as he landed on top of a large rocky hill. He waited, watched as the general gave the order and hordes of projectile weapons erupted, bursting towards him.

At best, it maybe singed his fingernails.

The rocky hill beneath him was turned to rubble. He remained where he was, floating in the air, waiting for the smoke to clear. The army was shocked, staring at the creature who wasn't even smoking from the biggest armed strike they could manage.

"I take it from the silence that it's my turn now?" He asked loudly. The army turned, trying to retreat. Cell lifted his hand out, channeled the energy and made the circular motion, tracing where the army was surrounding him. Instantly, they exploded, sending debris raining into the air. Cell laughed and drifted back to his arena, staring at the donut shaped crater that was his handiwork.

"Jerk!" Rowan cursed at the radio. She had been listening to the attack in her home. "You knew they wouldn't hurt you! They were defenseless!" It was pointless yelling at the radio, but it made her feel a little better. She punched the cushions on the couch until she calmed down. She knew the army had been planning attack. It was good for morale of the planet's population, but it was also a waste of human life.

"It was self defense." Rowan whirled around, staring at the android in the doorway. She hadn't even heard him arrive. He had a slight frown on his face. She sneered at him.

"It wasn't self defense. They couldn't hurt you, even if they tried nuking you, and you wiped them out with the flick of a wrist. That's not self defense, it's slaughter!" He shrugged casually.

"Maybe. But I wouldn't beat yourself up about it. No doubt Goku will wish them back." Rowan gave him a quizzical stare.

"Who's Goku?" Cell smirked. He closed the door behind him, made himself comfortable, hovering while he sat down and explained, in as much detail as he could, who the senshi and what the dragon balls were. It was a long time before he finished.

"So there are other aliens on the planet?" She asked hopefully. He smirked.

"Yes. I'm made from their cells." She stared at him for a while but eventually dropped her gaze to her hands.

"I see." She finally said. She turned her gaze back to Cell's. Her gaze was odd though, intense in a way that made him feel strangely uncomfortable. "Did you know he'd wish them back?" Cell hesitated then nodded slowly.

"Although I should say I probably would have, even if I didn't." She frowned, but said nothing. After a while she stood up, walked around the low coffee table and stopped in front of Cell, staring him eye to eye. Her gaze wandered up to the smiley face on his crest and she touched it slowly.

"I have to wonder about you." She said slowly. "You want to destroy the Earth, then you want to conquer it instead. You have unmatchable power and strength, but instead you show mercy, giving the planet ten days to defend itself. To rub salt in the wounds, you blow the army up, there fore removing any true hope the planet has. Panic ensues, but you don't really care. Or maybe you do."

She let her hand drop and stared at his eyes with her intense calculating stare.

"I don't know you anymore." She said it sadly and quietly. He gave her a smile.

"I know." She gave him a weak smile before she turned away and headed to the kitchen.

"What are you going to do now? You have 8 days left until the tournament." He laughed.

"I was hoping you could amuse me. It's rather boring standing in the arena all day long." She gave him an odd glare, emotion flashed across her face, but was gone before he could place it.

"What do you want me to do? If we go anyway, people will panic, run screaming and it would be a complete waste of time." He tilted his head like he used to when he was still in his larval form. It was his way of showing amused curiosity. She smiled inwardly to herself, surprised she could still read his body language.

Rowan let him sit for a moment, the radio still blaring in the background.

_"Now with the army destroyed, our hopes are smashed. Who can destroy the evil reign of terror that the tyrant Cell has created?"_ Rowan stared at the radio then back to Cell.

"Evil reign of terror? Tyrant? Get the feeling your not liked?" Cell laughed.

"They can hate me all they want. It doesn't worry me." She chuckled as she filled her kettle with water. Cell lowered his legs then, standing again. He covered the distance between himself and Rowan in a few steps. She felt herself flush from the sudden proximity. He was right in front of her. He suddenly offered his hand, indicating the kettle. She handed it to him. Less then a second later, the kettle whistled and he handed it back. She smiled and hid her flushed face from him by staring at the kettle. He stared, strange foreign emotions fluttering across his face then disappearing.

"Thanks." He inclined his head before turning away from her. She made the tea and offered one to Cell again. He took it, staring at it for a moment.

"It's not poison." She said absently. He chuckled and took a sip of it.

"I remember when you used to hate drinking tea." She shrugged.

"It's a lot cheaper then juice. I have to watch my spending now I have no income." He shrugged.

"I doubt anybody really cares about money now." He said. She smiled.

"No. I have you to thank for that." He chuckled.

It was a good afternoon. They spent most of the time talking about old times. It made Rowan happier then she thought it would. But it was good to just chat. She never realized how much she had truly missed Seru's company.

It was getting late, and Rowan yawned, feeling tired. Cell smirked at her.

"You should sleep." He said. She smiled at him.

"What about you? You used to sleep most of the day away." He shrugged.

"I don't need to sleep. I don't need to eat. There is no desire to do so." She frowned slightly but said nothing. She headed towards the shower, closing the curtains behind her. Cell heard the running water and saw the silhouette of Rowan, strip and disappear as she moved into the shower.

He closed his eyes, but the image remained. He cursed himself silently, but it was pointless in denying it. He was attracted to her, but that was Gero's working.

_What would have happened I wonder if Gero never discovered the compound in the blood?_ He thought to himself. He figured he probably would have just killed her like anyone else. No special treatment, no 'friendship', just simple procedure. She would be dead. That thought left him feeling cold and he felt angry suddenly. At himself. He could have sworn he heard the raspy laugh of Seru, but knew it was just his wandering mind imagining things.

The shower turned off, Cell opened his eyes and saw her silhouette again. He closed his eyes, trying to distract himself, but his mind kept turning back to imaginings of a sordid nature. He felt his jaw clench and he forced himself to clean his mind of any urges. He thought instead of the impending fight with Goku...

"Are you okay?" His eyes opened. Rowan was dressed, her hair was wet and hung around her face. She was sporting a frown.

"I'm fine." He said simply. She smiled slightly.

"Just making sure. You looked... flushed." He frowned.

"I'm fine, thank you." He let himself onto his feet again, so he was towering over Rowan. She smiled at him, but turned and headed to the bedside set of drawers where her hair brush was. She sat down on the bed, combing her hair.

_Stop this!_ He ordered his mind. He found himself struggling to control the images of her in his mind. Somehow even her brushing her hair seemed erotic.

"I think I'll go now." He said. "Let you get some sleep." She smiled at him, suddenly her smile looked luscious and inviting. He said nothing turned and left, closing the door behind him. He flew faster then he had before, letting the harsh cold wind sting his face. He needed to control himself or something bad would happen, but he couldn't help it. Gero's genes had kicked into action when he had been standing next to her with the kettle. It was her smell, he was sure...

Rowan laid herself down in bed, staring absently at the dark ceiling, thinking. Something had happened. She didn't know what, but she had sensed the change in him. He had seemed uncomfortable to say the least. She couldn't truly place it, but she had her suspicions. Never the less, she never thought she'd see him blush, but he had. She was sure of that.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

**Hair**

_He didn't want to go and see her. But the thoughts of her in his head were far too distracting. He was in the air, angry with himself. For the first time in his life, he had no control over himself. He had placed it down to the pheromones in her scent that had triggered the sudden overwhelming urge to throw himself at her whenever he saw her and again he cursed Gero and his genius in genetic manipulation. Her energy signature was like a beacon to him. It was distinguished because of her heritage and he found her easily enough. He stopped though, hovering in the air. Something wasn't right._

Rowan had woken early, having a troubled and restless sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about Cell and she hated herself for it. She was constantly reminding herself that he was the bad guy, but she couldn't help it. He had also been her only true friend for the last two years and that was hard to ignore. She made herself a simple breakfast of toast with a cup of tea, her hands lingering on the kettle for a moment. She felt better and calmer after she had eaten something. She avoided the TV and the radio and instead chose to go outside for a walk and stretch. It was relaxing in the forest, the sounds of nature and the early morning sun incredibly serene. Her mind wandered absently, and she let it.

It might have been the reason she hadn't noticed them until she was surrounded. Thugs.

The erupted out of the trees around her. There were five of them.

"Lookie fellas what we got 'ere!" One of them said in his drawling street talk. Rowan felt suddenly exposed and vulnerable. She scanned the ground around her, saw a fallen branch she could use, and dove for it. Only one of the thugs got there first, his foot pinning it to the ground. He laughed at her.

"Now what are you trying to do?" He snickered. She let the branch go and back up into the center of the circle again.

"How long 'as it been boys, since we 'ad some fresh meat?" The men laughed, brandishing their clubs, baseball bats and broken pipes. They stared at her in a menacing manner and her mind raced for options.

"Tha's right. Too long." Rowan took the initiative, lunging at one of the closest men. She caught him off guard, punched him square in the nose, and ran as fast as she could manage. She had broken their circle, but her hand throbbed with pain. Punching someone hurt a lot more then she thought it would.

She heard the heavy footfalls and the grunts of the men chasing after her.

"Little whore!" One of the yelled after her. She didn't look back, but kept running, all out, her legs aching and her lungs bursting. It all crashed around her though, when she tripped on a hidden rock beneath the forest's thick covering of leaves. She crashed hard on the floor, winding herself. She forced herself back to her feet, but instantly, she felt an eruption of agony against the back of her thighs as they were struck with a metal pipe. She fell again, sprawled on the floor. The weight of one of the thugs on her back knocked the air from her lungs. She yelled as he got a fistful of her hair and pulled her head back, leaning and snarling in her ears.

"Were gonna make you wish you'd never done tha'!" He spat. He threw her head back in the leaves. The man got off her and rolled her over.

"No! Leave me alone!" She struggled, trying to bat his hands away as he tore her shirt. She received a sudden kick to the side of her head which sapped her strength and dazed her mind, making her attempts at defense, feeble at best.

Her mind tried to black out the calloused and clumsy hands that groped at her exposed flesh, and the rough lips that forced themselves on her. It all seemed fuzzy though as the touching suddenly stopped. The men were yelling, someone screamed and there was a flash, followed by more screams.

Cell couldn't explain the fury that he felt. He was beyond angry, and all he wanted was to cause the humans as much pain as he could. He blasted one of them with far too much energy. He was incinerated, as was half the forest behind him. He punched another one with such force it tore his head from his body. In one fluid movement he grabbed one by the neck and sent him flying high then grabbed the one with the broken nose and threw him through a tree, snapping his back. The last human was running away, but screamed as his lower half of his body was incinerated. He screamed for a few seconds before finally twitching in his death throes and laying still.

Cell turned to Rowan. She was groaning, her eyes opened but unfocused. A little bit of blood trickled from her nose. He scooped her up, tearing into the sky and back to her house. She passed out along the way, her eyes closed serenely. He laid her on her bed and checked her over. She was more or less alright. A nasty bruise was on the back of her thighs, but it wasn't serious. He let her sleep.

Rowan had a head ache. She felt groggy but forced herself to open her eyes. She was staring at the ceiling of her home. Her mind slowly cleared as the memories came back. She bolted upright, half expecting the see them lounging in her home. Instead she saw Cell, hovering while sitting, his eyes closed and relaxed. He looked, almost asleep. She smiled relief and slipped out of bed. She was dimly aware that her shirt was torn open, and she sighed, tearing it off and slipping on another. Cell hadn't moved. She walked over to him, staring him in the face. He made not attempt to move. Little creases at the corners of his eyes, told her he was worried. She let herself grin at the thought that he was worried about her.

Her eyes moved to his head crest where the smiley face was. She leaned up on her tip toes and gently pressed her lips to it.

"Thank you Seru." She whispered and let herself fall back to her feet. Cell's eyes were open. He was smirking at her.

"Your welcome." He replied. His eyes were glittering with something she could have mistaken as relief. It faded quickly. She gave him a smile.

"I guess were even." She said. His smirk turned into a grin.

"Yes. We are." She studied him for a while, letting her eyes drift across his face. He made no attempt to move as he hands framed his face.

"Your warm." She stated. Her fingers tickled as the moved their way up. He kept his eyes locked to hers. She felt the edges of his helmet and smiled to him as her fingers eased under the elastic like leathery amour.

"You have hair!" She exclaimed suddenly. He snickered.

"Of course." Her fingers removed themselves from under his helmet, and instead went to work, tracing the yellow strap that covered his ears and chin. He let her work it undone at the edge of the helmet and let her peel it away. She let it hang from one side as she smiled, tracing the contours of his newly exposed ear. It was white, the indigo streaks of his face, stopping just short.

"That tickles." He muttered. He felt his face flush darker. She smiled at him, but let her hands fall from his ear. Her hands moved back to his helmet. She managed to get a grip, when his hand caught hers. She stared him in the eyes.

"You don't want me to?" She asked. He smirked.

"I don't mind that." He said. He hesitated then let her hand go. She smiled at him, then stared at the helmet as she pushed it back. His hair fell around his face. It was messy, spiky and jet black. Rowan put the helmet on the floor next to her and took a step back, staring intently at him. He looked good, but he didn't look like him anymore. He looked... Human... She moved forward, letting her hands wander through his hair. It was silky and soft from being trapped under the helmet his entire life. Cell's eyes closed but he didn't move. She smiled to herself as she saw his cheeks darken. She chose to let him be and she let him go, stepping back away from him.

"Would you like a tea?" She asked. His eyes opened slowly but he said nothing. His eyes fell on his helmet that was on the floor next to him and he leaned over, picking it up. Rowan didn't move, but watched as he stared at the reflective black shell in his helmet. His face was cold and unreadable. He glanced at her. She frowned.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. He lifted his fine black eyebrow.

"What for?" She smiled again.

"I made you uncomfortable." He smirked.

"No. It's just... Well, I'm still learning myself." He admitted. He paused for a second longer before he slipped his helmet back on, adjusting the strap to cover his ear properly. Any evidence that he had hair, was gone.

Rowan turned away, her own mind confused with the feelings that had threatened to overwhelm her. Cell had looked far too human without his helmet. He looked... Well, she didn't really know. She busied herself by making herself some tea.

It happened far to quickly. Rowan turned to Cell who for just a second, looked incredibly vulnerable. She walked to him, her sudden movement startling Cell, who watched, unmoving as she framed his face and pulled him into a deep kiss.

It lasted an eternity, yet not long enough as she let him go. He stared, somewhat shocked, unable to move or speak. She felt her face flush but she turned away, heading back to the cup of tea on the bench. She couldn't bring herself to look at him, and forced her mind to calm down. She heard his feet land on the ground as he stood up.

"I..." He silenced himself. She turned around finally. Cell looked horribly confused and she felt horribly bad for doing it. He looked at her, but found himself unable to hold her gaze and turned away. Without another word he turned and walked out the door.

Rowan bit her lip and hoped she hadn't ruined a good friendship. She sighed, letting all her conflicting emotions into the sigh. She fell onto the couch, her cup of tea untouched and slowly licked her lips. Despite anything, he was warm, and he tasted good.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

**Resolution**

It was before dawn when Rowan woke. She packed her house and started walking. She needed to find a shop soon. She was running out of food.

It was just before noon when she crested the top of a rocky hill and saw a small rural town set out below her. She saw the glints of cars moving and smiled relief. She picked her pace up, heading down the main road.

People had evacuated to the towns in the rural areas once Cell had announced his tournament. They had figured it would be safer away from the cities. She had found out the extent of the populations fear from the shop keeper she had done business with. People were terrified, doing stupid things in their fear. Con artists and Scammers were making big money, leaching off of peoples fear, promising the impossible.

_If Cell really wanted to kill someone, they'd be dead, no hesitation. Nothing could stop him._ She thought to herself. She had paid for her provisions with her savings she had stored away for emergencies. She couldn't think of a more warranting emergency as the end of the world she thought bitterly to herself. An eatery was open in the town center. It was small, but warm and cozy. She spared her loose change for a cup of hot coffee and sat back to enjoy it.

The first sign of trouble was the screaming. Followed closely by the running people and the hysteria as everyone panicked.

He was here.

The people in the eatery were frightened. The waiting staff disappeared into the kitchen, the customers following suit. Rowan remained where she was, although she felt anxious and somewhat annoyed. Her last meeting with Cell had left the stony cold android in obvious distress. She sipped her coffee, keeping one eye on the street through the window. It had become oddly quiet as everyone had hidden themselves away. She heard his metallic footsteps approaching, crunching against the loose stones on the gravel road.

He came into her field of view, keeping his gaze in front of him. For a moment, she though he was going to walk right past her, but he stopped in the middle of the road, arms folded across his chest. His expression was unreadable, but he didn't look quite natural either. Slowly his eyes met hers and he turned completely facing her. She calmed herself and gave him the best smile she could. He seemed to hesitate for a moment before he fell at ease, his lips arching into his trademark smirk. She released the breathe she hadn't realized she had been holding.

It was odd to watch without moving as Cell simply walked through the window of the eatery, the door being a little too confining. He stood over Rowan, staring down his nose at her. She sipped her coffee again, glancing at the shattered glass on the floor.

"Seru." She said casually. He stared around the eatery.

"Pathetic creatures." He muttered as he caught sight of one of the waiters glancing around the corner at him. He quickly disappeared again. Rowan glanced at where the waiter had been then back at Cell feeling suddenly anxious.

"Your not going to hurt them... Are you?" She was hesitant, the thought of watching humans dying needlessly in front of her suddenly making her loose her desire to drink her coffee. His face contorted as he fought internally before settling into a frown and he glared at the door where the humans hid. He turned his glare to her. She saw, for just a second, the disgust he harbored for them, but he masked it before she could question him. He turned, ducking back out of the eateries window. He stopped in the middle of the road, his back to Rowan. She sighed, left what remained of her change on the table next to the half drunk coffee and stepped out of the window frame, following Cell.

He glanced down at her before he began to walk slowly down the street. He didn't speak and he kept his arms folded. She watched him, noticing the pride he had in himself. It made sense suddenly. If she had damaged anything last night, hurt anything, it would have been his pride. She sighed suddenly, stopping. He stopped, turning to stare at her. He was struggling to hide his emotions from her and she smiled at him weakly.

"You need to let it out. Bottling it up won't help." She said, trying to sound sincere. He frowned.

"Hardly." he said dryly. He turned his back on her again. She stared at his wings and could see her own reflection in them. She stared at herself, and felt foreign.

"I'm sorry if I upset you. I was just acting on impulse. Can't we at least talk about it?" She said after a while. He didn't move and she sighed heavily, getting the message. "Well why did you come then? You didn't have to. You could have stayed in your arena." She regretted it instantly. He turned, his eyes full of anger.

"Point taken." He snarled. She opened her mouth to protest, but she was blown back by the force he took off with. She scrambled back to her feet, staring at the speck in the horizon.

"Jerk!" She yelled as loud as she could but she felt her throat tighten and her eyes sting. She dusted her clothes off and sat down on the verge, finding suddenly that she lacked the strength in her legs to stand. She felt horribly bitter. She couldn't honestly say why.

It was a good fifteen minutes later before people began to emerge. Mostly it was just faces in the window, but eventually they started to emerge. One of them approached her, sitting down gingerly next to her. She looked at them and recognized him as one of the waiters from the eatery. He smiled warily at her, looking a little confused. She smiled weakly back.

"Is... Is he a friend... of yours?" He asked after a while. She stared him in the eyes. He cringed. "I'm sorry, I had to ask!" He blurted out. "He was there! At work! We saw him. He came here for you." She sighed heavily and hid her face in her knees.

"Yes." She said after a long while. It was muffled. "It's a long complicated story." She added.

"He... Hurt you?" He asked. She looked up, biting her bottom lip.

"Not physically." She said. She felt the prickling of tears at the corners of her eyes. The waiter gave her a genuine smile.

"I'll make you a tea. We can talk Get it off your chest. It'll help." She felt a little flustered but he sounded genuine. She let him lead her back to the eatery.

Cell stood in the heavy rain at his arena. It was cold as ice but incredibly refreshing. Not that he minded. He enjoyed the cold. His mind was numb. He had spent several hours mentally abusing himself.

_Sort yourself out!_ He reprimanded himself. _Your a disgrace._ He sighed to himself nasally. He opened his eyes, staring at the stark white marble arena in the heart of a baron landscape before closing his eyes again and turning to his thoughts.

_What do you want? What do you truly want? _He asked himself.

_A challenge. _

_That you have and then some. _He was being sarcastic to himselfHe suddenly felt exasperated and tired._ What do you want her to do? _

_Leave me alone?_

_...Honestly?_

_No. I don't. I want her. Thats whats so upsetting. I want her, I shouldn't it's against everything I am. _

_Gero made you that way. It's for a reason. _

_Gero made me that way, simply to enhance my strength, amplify my powers and expand my limits. He did not intend for all these complicated desires._

_Your attracted to her. Its supposed to make sure that you protect her so she doesn't suddenly die and your left without her benefit._

_I don't need the benefit. I can live without it._

_So leave her alone then. _

_I can't leave her alone._

_Why? _

_What?_

_I don't know. I'm confused. Conflicted feelings._

_Why don't you just succumb then? Maybe things will become clearer if you get all these thoughts of attraction out of your system. Maybe that is what its all about. Maybe its another of Gero's little surprises. Drive you nuts until you finally crack, then it all becomes simple again, and you become more powerful. _

_Copulate with her then? Simple as that?_

_I never said it was going to be simple, but whats the alternative?_

_...Point taken._

_So go then. Stop arguing with yourself. It's not healthy._

_But...Hn..._

Cell let his eyes open again. He felt calmer. He didn't have all the answers, and he was hesitant about the subject of attraction, but he felt more at ease then he had before. He stared at the black clouds above him and sighed heavily again He silently hoped he was ready for what was coming as he opened his wings. Only seven days remained...

Things for Rowan had gone from bad to horribly worse. Ben, the waiter had listened to Rowan's story. She had felt like she was lifting the burdens from her shoulders and that had been great. He had put her up in his house on the edge of town and given her dinner. But without warning half of the town had burst into the room and captured her, tying her up and gagging her, all while Ben watched with a sadistic grin. She had been thrown unceremoniously in the back of a pick up with four heavily armed men who had spent the whole of the last hour glaring at her. She had no clue as to where they were going but felt low. She couldn't rely on Cell to help her this time. He had made that clear.

"Don't know why he'd chose someone like you to be honest." One of the men said, breaking the silence. He was staring at her with a look of disapproving. "I mean, your Okay looking, but you are pretty plain really." She felt her eyes narrow with the annoyed anger she felt. It made sense. They were kidnapping her because they thought she would be worth something to Cell.

_Idiots._ She thought to herself. If they only knew the truth about her and what she could do to him, they wouldn't bother kidnapping her, they'd kill her outright. She pushed the thoughts from her head, trying to swallow her bitterness. It wouldn't help her now.

The pick up truck came to an abrupt stop. The four men cursed simultaneously, and Rowan felt her hip jar on the side of the tray. She cried out but it was muffled through her gag. Two of the men jumped out of the truck, the other two stood up but stayed where they were.

"Shit, it's him!" Someone yelled, the fear evident in their voices. One of the men next to her reached down, pulling her to her tightly bound feet. He pulled a kitchen knife from the belt in his pants and held it to her throat. What seemed like an eternity passed. Rowan couldn't see what was happening, but she cringed at the sudden sound of gun fire. It ended abruptly along with the screams.

The man holding her pressed the knife harder to her throat. She felt the cold blade pressing against her skin. Cell walked into view, one of the other humans hanging by his throat in his hands. His eyes narrowed at the sight of Rowan with a knife to her throat.

"It's true!" Her captor's companion whispered, swinging his 12 gage shotgun from his shoulder. Cell ignored him, keeping his eyes on Rowan's. She tried to look apologetic, but guessed it came out looking stupid.

"You better keep away, or I'll cut her deep!" Her captor suddenly yelled. She felt the pressure against her skin a little tighter. Rowan wanted to tell the man to run while he could. He didn't stand a chance against Cell's speed or strength. All she could do was muffle her words. Cell's eyes narrowed further and he let the man go. He was dead anyway, his neck clearly broken.

Rowan's captor began to panic. She felt him shake, his hand unsteady on the blade. She bit down on the rag in her mouth and forced herself suddenly backwards. The man yelled out, startled by the sudden weight against him. Cell disappeared with his sudden speed. It happened so quickly that Rowan wasn't sure if the man had cut her deliberately or if it was reflex, but she felt the sudden fiery sensation of the skin across her clavicle burst open with a spray of blood. The other man screamed, leaping out of the back of the truck and hit the ground running. Cell had the man with the knife dangling in his hand. The man made to stab Cell's hand but the blade shattered harmlessly against his skin. Cell's angry frown turned into a terribly snarl as he hurled the man into the other, now sprinting man. They collapsed in a sprawled pile. Cell pointed at them and with a defiant over use of force, they both exploded in a massive eruption.

Cell broke Rowan's binds like they were string. She instantly clamped her hand to the cut across her collar bone. She gave him a weak smile.

"I... Thanks again I guess." She knew she was loosing a lot of blood, but she also knew it wasn't a lethal cut. It had hit mostly bone. Cell said nothing but his eyes held the cold glare of anger in them as he moved her hand away from the cut.

"That needs to be healed." He said after a while. His voice didn't betray the anger she saw in his eyes.

"Don't happen to be handy with a needle by any chance?" Rowan asked trying to lighten the situation. The glare he gave her sobered her though, and she let him scoop her into his arms. She saw the carnage around her. A dozen men lay dead around the three pick up trucks that had formed her convoy. She sighed heavily to herself as Cell took to the skies once again.

_**A/N: Thank you for the reviews. Makes me so happy... :D I've never been a good writter, even though i do enjoy it. Failed my last English Exam. ;( **_

_**BTW, i do try to check on spelling and grammar and I do try to proof read my chapters, but I'm sorry if I miss some things. **_


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N:** **Warning. **Contains mature content._

**Chapter Nine**

**Release**

Cell landed smoothly, a slight frown at the corners of his mouth. He glanced at the woman who was in her arms, her face seemingly at ease. It portrayed the urgent need to get her medical attention however, her face pale and still. She was sleeping off her exhaustion of the day. He glared around him. He was standing on top of a spire of one of the massive sky scrapers, the city lay sprawled beneath him. He saw the hospital across the road of the sky scrapper. Ambulance sirens blared as they ran too and from the emergency department, ferrying the frightening number of injured people. The riots and the fear of the people had caused many accidents and problems.

Cell jumped smoothly, barely moving at all. He let his chi lower him slowly to the dark alley way below him, between two sky scrapers. He landed smoothly again, having not alarmed anybody. Rowan stirred but didn't wake, simply shifting in his arms and burying her face in his chest. Cell's mind wandered for just a second, but he reigned it in, trying to hide the sudden heat that had erupted in his cheeks. He shifted slowly, lowering Rowan's legs to the ground. She stirred and woke with a groggy expression on her face. She smiled weakly at him. He had one hand firmly on her unharmed shoulder, steadying her while she regained control over herself.

"Rowan, you need to get that treated." He said, gesturing with his free hand to her wounded collar bone. It was covered with a strip of her shirt but it was soaked through with her red blood. She stared at it absently as if it didn't belong to her and she turned back to Cell with a sheepish grin.

Cell let her go, gesturing to the hospital across the street from the alley they currently stood in. She stared for a moment, watching the ambulance scream into the drive way, sirens blaring, the red lights casting odd shadows down the alley way. Finally, she made to move, leaving Cell behind her as she crossed the deserted road and walked through the gardens around the hospital and towards the front doors.

She was treated in a corridor, the beds all taken by people who needed them more then she did. She had been given some drugs to help with the pain while a tired looking middle aged man stitched her muscles and her skin back together.

"The good news is that your going to be fine. You might get a scar, but this cut is clean and should stitch well." Rowan thanked the doctor. He stared at her for a moment. "Under normal circumstances I'd ask you to stay for observation and rest. Your clearly stressed and exhausted. But our hospital is bursting at the seams. We don't have the means to cater to so many people in this emergency." Rowan waved the doctor's comments away.

"S'okay Doc," She was slurring because of the drugs. "I feel fine. I can go home and rest." The doctor smiled warmly at her.

"Make sure you do. And be more careful in future." She smiled at him and let him walk her to the main foyer before turning back to the emergency department.

Rowan made her way across the road, her shoulder in a bandage, barely showing under her shirt. Cell was standing in the alleyway, his arms folded across his chest, his eyes closed in meditation. Rowan could feel the drugs numbing her mind, but they were beginning to wear away. She stood in front of Cell, staring at his serene face. She felt the overwhelming urge to hug him, so she did. Her arms snaked around his chest, not quite long enough to reach around the back. She laid her head against his chest and sighed to herself.

Cell's eyes opened. He was staring, stunned at the obvious show of affection. He saw the bandage beneath her shirt and internally thanked himself. Rowan let him go finally, staring up at him. He could see the drugged expression in her eyes and it made sense. She gave him a warm and bright smile.

"Thank you Seru." She said slowly. Cell felt a slight twinge inside himself, but pushed it aside. He would think on it later.

"Are you alright now?" He asked. She nodded. He studied her for a moment. She had a little bit of color back in her face, and although they had cleaned her up, her clothes were still caked in dried blood, and she had a nice tear in her shirt.

"You need new clothes." He pointed out. She shrugged.

"Doesn't worry me. Theres some in my house." She fumbled in the pocket in her pants and presented the capsule of her home. She held it up to Cell. "See. All safe." Cell frowned. She was irritating while she was drugged. She tucked it back into her pocket, grinning at him.

In one fluid movement, Cell scooped Rowan into the bridal position in his arms and burst into the sky, his wings opened. He didn't bother to hide his presence from the people below and heard the screeching tires and the crunch of metal against metal as cars crashed. He smirked to himself, glancing at Rowan who was already asleep in his arms.

Rowan woke, feeling significantly better then she had in a few days. She stretched and sat up, smiling to herself as her mind worked its way through the last 24 hours. She stared around the insides of her capsule house and beamed. She slipped out of her bed, tore off her clothes and stepped into the shower, sighing in bliss as the hot water steamed and relaxed her muscles. She avoided wetting her injured shoulder as she washed her hair. She finished, stepping out and drying herself, before wrapping the towel around her body and heading to the kitchen. She began making herself a couple of sandwiches, cheese tomato and ham, zapping them in the microwave for a few seconds to heat the cheese. She ate them with relish and licked her fingers. She felt clean, fed and well rested. The drugs had gone from her mind, leaving her with a sense of clarity and the pain in her shoulder was nothing but a dull ache.

The door opened and Cell entered. He let his eyes wander over her before locking his eyes to hers. She gave him a warm smile.

"Feeling better?" He asked. She nodded.

"How long did I sleep?" He smirked.

"Nearly a whole day." Her eyes widened.

"Wow. Guess I needed it." Cell grinned. He felt his face grow hot as his eyes wandered again.

Rowan noticed and smiled at him a little gingerly. He reigned himself back in. She hesitated for a moment, before her mind settled. She turned to the drawers besides her bed, moving to get some clothes out for herself. She decided on a sky blue tank top and some jeans with a jeweled flower emblem on the side of the leg. She glanced over her shoulder, hesitating, for just a second, before letting the towel drop. She saw the sudden tension in Cell and the expression on his face made her smile. She turned back to her clothes, moving slowly and deliberately. She didn't get far.

Cell's arms snaked around her waist and she felt his warmth against her back. His head lowered to her ear.

"What are you doing to me?" He whispered in her ear. She smiled to herself, turning around slowly to face him.

"I didn't do anything. Gero did, remember that." Her face sobered. "In normal cirumstances, I'd be just another corpse to you." Cell frowned, staring at her. It was a long time before he Finally made to talk, but she waved it off.

"It's not normal circumstances and I don't blame you." She said, the corners of her mouth tugging into a slight smile. She looked luscious, inviting. He wanted her right then, his mind emptying of anything else. But he was unsure how to go about it. She sensed his hesitation and moved forward, her warm hands framing his face. She pressed up against him, pulling his face down until her lips brushed against his, taunting him. She kissed the bridge of his nose, smiling at the hungry expression in his eyes. He shifted, forcing his lips to hers in a hungry, somewhat ungraceful kiss. She deepened it, secretly loving his taste and likening it to honey.

Cell couldn't control the feelings that ran rampant in his body. His mind swam, drowning in the images it created of what he'd love to do to Rowan. But he was clumsy, unlearned in the arts of this sort of thing. That annoyed him. He was the most gifted and skilled warrior, he had an intelligence that could only be described as genius, and he was proud of the predatory instincts that lived within him. But all that was useless to him now. He wished only he had been given some natural skill, anything really, to help him now. To put into motions, the urges he felt.

Rowan broke the kiss, stepping back, staring into Cell's face with a fondness in her gaze. She glanced at his helmet, her hands moving to the strap edging. With a smile, she removed his helmet, staring at his jet black hair before running her hands through it.

"I do love your hair." She said with a dark hue to her cheeks. He watched her face intently as her fingers played with his hair. Finally she let him go, taking a step back. He watched her as she circled him, studying the black shelled armor on his chest. Finally she stopped back in front of him, a small frown creasing her face.

"I don't know how it comes off." She said with a sheepish grin after a moment. Cell smirked, flexing his muscles. He channeled the energy into his limbs, making him glow. He willed his energy into his armor, the extension of his body, then forced it to harden, and break.

Rowan watched as the colored hint of Cell's armor desaturated before glowing and hair line crack running through it as it hardened. With a sudden crack, all of his armor shattered to pieces, scattering around him on the floor. He stood as exposed as she did suddenly, only Rowan stood in admiration of the chiseled body before her.

Cell felt exposed and vulnerable. He wasn't really, he knew, but he was so used to having the connection to his armor, it felt completely odd to see it scattered, dead around him. He quickly forgot the feeling though, as it was replaced by others, Rowan's warm fingers tracing the contours of his battle hardened muscles. He felt the pleasure that coursed through his body at the slight touch and realized it was so much more then he would have thought it to be. He felt himself stirring, thought it an odd, although not unpleasant sensation and watched it was amusement. Rowan soon noticed and she stared down at Cell.

What happened next was the natural way of all things. Cell found himself enjoying the primitive pleasures of life, not altogether hating it, which shocked him amazingly. He had always thought that he would feel dirty for the deed, but found himself relishing it instead. He proved a powerful lover, although gentle, trying his hardest not to loose control and harm Rowan. That had added to the pressure that had built rapidly within him until finally, it had burst in a way he had under estimated...

The first thing Cell became aware of was the warmth that enveloped his right side. His eyes opened slowly. The room around him was beginning to brighten, slowly as the sun rose, but not yet harsh. His mind slowly eased as the memories of the previous night washed over him. He allowed himself a smile, somewhat amazed that he had actually fallen asleep. He had used almost nothing of his immense energy, but had been exhausted never the less, and found himself falling asleep besides the woman who had shared his first true intimate experience. She stirred besides him, her warmth moving. She was nestled against his still vulnerable side, his arm wrapped around her, offering support against the floor. She stopped moving, drifting back off to sleep, and he turned his mind inwards.

He evaluated his energy levels, shocked himself. He had been aware of his strengths, even though they had never truly been tested, and was amazed at just how much of a jump they had attained. He closed his eyes, examining himself with his unique internal visions. He saw his genetic sequence in his system, smiled at the slight irregularities that had been adjusted. He saw his cells, enforced with the chemical compound, eating it up like it like it was candy. He opened his eyes again, letting them focus on nothing, as he thought. He had what he wanted now. His mind fluttered through things again, but found himself without conflict. There was no need to fight himself. He had succumbed to his urges, exceeded his expectations, become even stronger then he already was and had finally achieved a little peace and quiet. However he knew with a little hesitation that there was no way he could let Rowan go now. The thought alone stabbed at him. He pushed it all aside as Rowan stirred again.

She yawned and slowly sat up, stretching the kinks out of her back from spending the night on the floor. She smiled down at Cell who was watching her with a slight smirk.

"Good Morning." She said. He shifted, using his free hand to flick a few loose strands of her now dishelved hair from her face. She tucked them behind her ears. They stared at each other for what seemed an eternity, before she finally moved, standing up, glanced down at him, before moving to the kitchen. She began to boil herself some water for a cup of tea.

Rowan felt Cell's presence behind her and felt his arms snake around her again, holding her tight. He licked the exposed flesh on her neck, felt her body flush in his arms, and felt himself become aroused again. The kettle boiled, whistling before turning itself off. It went mostly unnoticed...

_**A/N:** Mm Honey..._


End file.
